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Tysons biting remarks
show his lack of control

Posted: Monday, July 03, 2000

Some people never learn. They make a mistake, get punished, promise never to do it again, and then, before you know it, they're right back where they started.

Mike Tyson is a prime example of this. He continues to mess up, and the public continues to forgive him by betting on him and paying to watch his bouts in person or by subscribing to pay-per-view. As the public supports Tyson in his sport, it also supports his actions in and out of the boxing ring.

Tyson has a history of not being able to control his anger, and it doesn't appear that he's gotten any better.

During a 1998 championship bout with Evander Holyfield, Tyson was unable to control his rage and he maliciously bit off a chunk of Holyfield's ear. Amid public outrage, the Nevada State Athletic Commission banned him from the ring.

So, what was Tyson's reaction to the Nevada commission's punishment? He took his gig on the road and fought matches in other states and countries. Apparently, the gruesome sight of an out-of-control Tyson gnawing on a man's ear was not enough to inspire other boxing commissions in the United States and abroad did not follow Nevada's ban.

A boxing match in Scotland last week was the site of the latest instance where Tyson stepped over the line. After leveling his opponent, Lou Savarese, in a 38-second bout, Tyson continued to hit Savarese even after the bout was officially over. Then, the victorious Tyson launched into a malicious tirade meant to taunt Lennox Lewis, the current heavyweight champion, into a future bout.

''I want your heart. I want to eat your children,'' Tyson said of Lewis. ''I will rip out his heart and feed it to him.''

While it isn't unusual for boxers to incite their rivals during post-fight interviews, what Tyson said went too far. He didn't say that he wanted to beat Lewis silly. He said he wanted to pull out one of Lewis' organs. He also didn't limit his vicious comments to an opponent. No, Tyson brought Lewis' kids into the picture.

It's almost dizzying how often the heavyweight boxer has kept himself in an ongoing cycle of mistake-forgiveness-apparent redemption-mistake again. The question we have to ask ourselves now is whether there will ever be a time when we say enough is enough.